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Cristiano Ronaldo provoked a mixture of appreciation, bemusement and outright scorn when he unveiled his new haircut ahead of the World Cup match against USA on Sunday night.

The zig-zag pattern shaved into the side of his head made the Rio Report openly question whether it might rank among the worst haircuts in football history - a tall order, when you consider the competition, but still a fair question.

Yet according to a story doing the rounds on Twitter, the Portuguese striker's go-faster-stripes weren't a fashion statement, but a gesture of solidarity for Erik Ortiz Cruz, a young boy in Spain who recently underwent brain surgery that was paid for by the Real Madrid superstar.

It's a matter of record that Ronaldo helped out little Erik before - in fact, we reported on the star's act of generosity in paying the entire £50,000 medical bill as soon as little Erik's plight was brought to his attention.

But there are, as yet, no corroborating sources to suggest that Ronaldo's new do was a nod to his little pal. For one thing, Erik actually underwent surgery severl months ago now:

For another - and here the Rio Report will quickly admit that there are no surgeons on the roster of journalists -we're pretty sure brain surgery requires a patient's head be shaved before a straight cut is made. Not a jagged line hacked straight through the hair.

Either way, Ronaldo fans on social media are absolutely lapping up the story, and using it as a big stick with which to beat non-believers in the cult of CR7.

The man himself may, or may not, clear up the confusion - most likely not, since he has a firm record of never speaking publicly about his many acts of charity.